Our Guiding Light
by The-Starry-Princess
Summary: Cullen Rutherford, a Templar, and Evelyn Trevelyan, a mage, find themselves brought together under unique circumstances. That friendship blooms into something more, something forbidden, but something they cannot deny. Not matter how hard they may try. This is the story that proves that love, no matter where it comes from, can truly be a guiding light. (Full summary inside!)


**A/N: Hello everyone! Let me just say right off the bat that it has been a LONG time since I have written fanfiction. So I'm sorry if I'm a bit rusty! This little bubble is an idea that has been floating around in my head for a while and it has gotten to the point where I cannot go another moment without writing about it. This is a story that will span through DAO, DA2, and DAI. So, some spoilers if you haven't played any of those games! I am going to take some liberties into my own hands and change some things around a bit so that it fits with the plot bunnies running around my head. This story will be rated T for now but may change to M, later on, …still not sure yet. Anyways, enough of my rambling. Let's get to it shall we!**

 **Full Summary: (I'm terrible at these, so we'll see how this goes!)  
Two unlikely lovers find comfort in each other after suffering a traumatic experience in the place they once thought to be safe, a place they once called home. Cullen Rutherford, a Templar sworn to the Chantry, and Evelyn Trevelyan, a mage of noble birth coming from one of the most devout families in the Free Marches, find themselves brought together under unique circumstances. After having been transferred from her home country to the foreign Ferelden, Lady Evelyn befriends the awkwardly charming templar, Cullen who is in charge of assisting with her transition. That friendship blooms into something more, something forbidden, but something they cannot deny. Not matter how they may try. This is the story that only proves that love, no matter where it comes from, can truly be the guiding light for those in the dark.**

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 **Prologue**

The Conclave, in theory, was ideal. It was neutral ground where both parties could meet and hopefully come to an agreement that would appease both sides and put an end to this tragic war. Unfortunately, things had not turned out the way they had planned. She could not believe this was all actually happening. Maker's breath, everything happened so fast, she did not know what to believe anymore.

"Come along, it is not much further."

The group continued up the mountain towards the temple, following behind the Seeker leading them. The only goal now was to reach who got to the summit before they did, everyone hoping that it was not too late. The sound of fighting and the screams of those horrid, unholy creatures reached the group as they got closer to their goal. There were demons up ahead and that never ended well.

"Quickly! We need to help them!"

The group charged ahead to aid the soldiers already fighting off the large gathering of demons. Evelyn Trevelyan gripped her staff tighter and begin focusing her magic into it, preparing for the grueling fight ahead. Taking a brief look at her surroundings she figured a chain lightning spell should do quite a bit of damage to more foes with one strike. She raised her staff to cast the spell just as a loud command was delivered to the surrounding soldiers.

"The quicker we dispose of these creatures, the quicker this thing can be sealed. Give this everything you have got!"

Forgetting all about the spell Evelyn raced toward the sound of the man's voice, dodging demons and anything else blocking her path. Just as she reached the source of the tear she saw a man in red furs and shining armor covered in demon blood turn in a wide arc, swinging his sword down onto a demon's head for the finishing blow. It was him, it had to be. But how? Why was he here? She thought him to be dead. Just as the dead monster fell, another one snuck up to try to attack him from behind.

"CULLEN! BEHIND YOU!" Evelyn screamed, terrified that the monster may reach its target before her warning could reach him. Not hesitating she shot off a series of fire blasts, hoping to destroy the creature or at the very least knock it away from the man fighting for his life. Hearing the shout, Cullen turned around to try to block the oncoming enemy, but it was blasted back by a fireball before he could get the chance to block the incoming blow. He turned in the direction the spell came from and saw something, or rather someone, he thought he would never see again.

"Quickly, you much seal the breach before more come through!" Evelyn's attention is drawn from the blond man in front of her to the elven apostate trying to get her attention. She raised her hand as she had done last time and watched as an intense green light shot out and connected to the tear. With a loud pop and a ripple of magic energy, the tear was gone.

"Sealed as before. You are becoming quite proficient at this." The elven mage approached Evelyn as she lowered her hand, still fascinated at the strange marking on it.

"Yeah, well let's hope it works on the big one." The dwarf with the odd crossbow said as he came up to the group. Evelyn, however, was far more interested in finding the soldier from before to really pay too much attention to what was being said. Noticing the young woman's lack of focus the dwarf turned to her to see what was wrong. "Hey, you alright prisoner lady?"

"We've no time for questions Varric, we much continue on to the Temple of Sacred Ashes. You, prisoner, are you ready to move along now the more important issue at hand?"

As she was about to answer their questions, the very man she had been seeking out came to her and, Maker's breath, she had no idea what to say to him. The last time she had seen him was when they had parted before aiding the people of Kirkwall. They had shared one final kiss, then that was it. When the Chantry had exploded, she believed it to be the end for her. Her only regret was not being able to tell Cullen she was sorry for leaving him alone. By the blessing of the Maker himself, she had survived the blast. Hearing nothing on whether or not her love had also survived the chaos, she decided to take matters into her own hands. Evelyn found her way back to the Ostwick Circle to see if they had heard from any of the surviving Templars from Kirkwall, but that proved to be a dead end. While planning what to do next, Evelyn had heard of the plans for a peace meeting between the warring mages and templars. After practically begging the First Enchanter of the Ostwick Circle, she was secured a position on the assigned mages to attend the Conclave on the Circle's behalf. One minute she was on her way to the Templar Hall to inquire about any information about Cullen, the next she was waking up to swords pointed at her neck and a stranger screaming at her. It had been an experience, to say the least. However, it was an experience she hardly had any memory of. But all of that faded away when she saw him. It felt like years since they had last seen each other when, in reality, it had only been a few months. Looking at him now, seeing him alive and well, made all of that time spent worrying and planning melt away.

"Lady Cassandra! You managed to close the rift? Well done." Cullen said as he walked over to the Seeker, sheathing his sword.

"Do not congratulate me Commander, this is the prisoner's doing." Cassandra said stepping aside so that the Commander could get a better look at the person who was responsible for saving him and his men. He thought what he had seen earlier had just been a trick of the mind, a mix of the adrenaline from fighting with so many demons from the Fade and that blasted lyrium withdrawal. Yet, seeing her standing there next to Cassandra, he felt all the memories he had repressed come flooding forward with abandon. He knew this was no trick. It was real, it was really her. Evelyn, his Evelyn, was standing right in front of him. She was alive. After they had departed he watched her run off to the Chantry to see if they needed any aid in healing the injured. After watching until he could no longer see her, he ran off to follow his own mission. He had to protect the people, mages or not, he had to see the innocent to safety. It happened while he was escorting a group of civilians to the docks. He heard it before he saw it. A large, deafening blast shook the entire city to its core. Praying to every divine being he could think of, he hoped that was not what he thought it was. As he turned, his worst fears were realized. There it was, the blazing inferno that was once the city's holiest ground. The Chantry was no more. Evelyn. The only thought in his mind was her. Was she still making her way there when it happened? Did she escape the area? Was she inside when the building exploded? Was she…was the woman who had stood by him through everything, who supported him in his darkest days, who he had sworn on the Maker himself to love and cherish for the rest of his days…the woman whom he wanted to have the family he had always dreamed of with…was she…dead?

Everything went to hell after that. He remembers running, screaming her name, searching for her for days on end, crying himself to sleep where dreams for her plagued his mind, locking himself away from everyone. That is until Cassandra found him. She dragged him out of his dark hole to him a purpose again. To help end the war that brought about all of this tragedy. He honestly wanted nothing more than to go back to the times where he could hold his beloved and tell her how much he loved her. But after thinking on it for a few days, realizing that this is what she would have wanted. He agreed to go with Cassandra, to help her and her Inquisition. He did it for her. He did it because he knew that she would want all of this suffering to come to an end. There was not a day that went by that he did not think of her and what could have been. In order to fend off those thoughts, he threw himself into his work, exhausting himself so that those thoughts had no time to creep into his mind. But here she was. After losing her to one explosion, he found her again after another. By the Maker, he did not know what to think right now.

"Hello, Cullen. Long time no see…"

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 **A/N: Well there you have it! This is merely a sneak peek into the plot monster running through my mind right now. I'm hoping to have the first official chapter up within the next day or so.** **You all are lovely!**

 **Leave a review to let me know what you think! Thank you for reading! :)**


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